Review by Watch Boy SG
The following is an independent review of the Revival Series - Phantom Steel watch by Watch Boy SG, a Singapore-based watch reviewer. The article can be found here.
Kent Hall & Co. is a small batch production styled watch company out of Singapore, established in 2015, wanting to bring unique styled mechanical watches to the market. With a, to the point styled approach they make pieces that speak to them and do not intend to conform to any standards or styles within the industry. They however ceased operations in 2019 and are now back again in action and with a new timepiece being launched together with their brand. With a focus to that embodies accessibility to the everyday watch collector, they have tried to source for good yet affordable parts to keep the price point to be within almost everyone's reach yet still maintaining a certain level of standards.
Kent Hall & Co. seems to have a predilection toward skeletonised watches. This can be seen through most of their pieces historically and to date. So it comes as no surprise that the piece I have today from the Revival Series is a skeleton styled watch. I went with the Phantom Steel, which is a brushed matte black finish with a polished finish along the bezel edge.
The Phantom Steel can in a very simple styled box with no frills and to the point, which is the focus being on the watch. Immediately starting at you is a very intricately finished skeletonised Seagull movement which it showcases some really nice aspects on display which I will get into more later.
When I first laid hold of this piece, one cannot help but to notice the very familiar Gerald Genta vibes you get of this piece due to the octagonal shaped case. From there the Phantom Steel makes it its own.
The mix of brushed matte black and polished bezel edges adds a nice mix of dimension and feel to the piece finished in 316L stainless steel case. Opting to keeping the dial and bezel as is was a bold but clever move as it really enhances the details on the movement on display. The only part of the dial which can be seen is the black outer rim which features the Kent Hall & Co name and logo along with rectangular indices running around at each hour mark.
The star of this piece is undeniably the movement on show. Over the years Seagull has managed to churn out many reliable movements at a spectacularly good price point. This has allowed watch makers to utilise such cost effective movements that has been tried and test to hold its own over time. Here on display this finely finished automatic skeleton movement. If you look closely you can almost peer through the entire movement and the level of skeletisation is really impressive, plus it has a power reserve of 41 hours.
One can stare and marvel at the view of the bridges, gears and springs. You can actually see how wound the mainspring barrel is, this is done to act as in some ways like a power reserve indicator. Even on the back you are met with another great view of the gears and rotor. Sometimes it surprises me how nicely Seagull has managed to make a skeleton movement at such a reasonable price point. It gives access to some many people a chance to own such a nice piece as the Phantom.
As we move of from the movement on display, again I am impressed that the Phantom which is not a diver or chronograph but rather to serve as a dress watch comes with a sapphire crystal glass and is actually water resistant up to 50 meters which is not too shabby.
The only aspect of the watch I wish more attention would have been paid to is the finishing of the Kent Hall name and logo on the dial. As I looked closer it seemed almost slightly rough around the edges.
Overall for the price you are paying for this piece, it is really of a great value. I have seen pieces with subpar movements at a similar price point, and this being a skeletonised automatic movement it cannot get any better. Skeleton pieces can also double up as a piece that I know many people think is cool and would like to own one, even my non watch enthusiast friends.